Descention
by SquirrelISDead0304
Summary: Alagaesia is bowed under the oppressive weight of another war. In the middle- victims on opposite sides of a battle they can't hope to understand.


**Author's Note: One of those random spur of the moment whim pieces with no foreseeable ending. I apologize now, if this goes unfinished. You have been warned. Oh and please notice my clichéd and redundant title- chosen purely for my entertainment. **

**Disclaimer: I just inserted a disclaimer. I obviously have no claim to any of the characters or places that appear in the following. I'm just jumbling them all together in a way that is pleasing to imagination.**

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**A Night of Darkness**

_Torreya, I hate this. _

The statement was ambiguous, leaving the flying to wonder what it was her rider truly meant. Was it a reference to the constant bombardment of cold night air or a slight on their current obligation.

_Do you want to stop and rest?_

The question was laced with concern. She could feel her rider shift; almost so that she was laying on her back rather than sitting in the saddle. Eventually the question was deigned with an answer. _I'd rather not, but it would be folly to fly through the night. Especially once we near the Spine._

The wind picked up as the grey dragon descended.

_Do you think we'd be attacked?_

She could feel her rider mentally smirk. _No. They know shit would go down if they attacked a dragon and rider. But I wouldn't be surprised if they don't watch us throughout our entire journey to Utgard. Hell we might even catch a glimpse of them following us._

Their thoughts dwindled into silence as Torreya landed in a flurry of wings and rustle of scales. Talons gauging the dirt, the dragon folded her wings before glancing to look her rider.

_Ellonia?_

Her rider glanced at her, expression unreadable._ I don't want to be here._ Even the Torreya's mind her words were distasteful.

_Just the thought of…I feel ill. _Ellonia sat down pulling her knees to her chest.

The distant sound of waves crashing was the only noise for a long while, both companions mulling over their own thoughts.

Torreya down forming a barrier of sorts against the salty cold breeze that periodically whipped at Ellonia's clothes. She understood Ellonia's qualms- the illness she'd spoken of. She could feel the emotional decay every time their minds touched for more than a few seconds; her stomach tightening unpleasantly.

"Can we leave?"

_The night's too-_

"I mean Alagaesia. Can we leave Alagaesia?"

_Where would we go?_

Ellonia sighed. _I don't know. A place of peace- somewhere people aren't so quick to kill- _"Forget it. I'll sleep, and we'll leave whenever you're ready."

With that the distraught rider flopped to her side curling in the sand and grass, hugging her sword to her chest. Grumbling discontentedly Torreya unfurled one of her dawn hued wings and covered her rider in a protective blanket.

Sighing wisps of smoke curled from her nostrils, as she settled in to sleep as well. But the feeling of tension from beneath her open wing kept her up and thinking. Ell, had been moody for a week now, ever since they'd been ordered to go to Utgard. And once they'd finally stared on their flight her rider's mood hadn't improved.

It was stake driving a nasty pain in both their heads, and it was that discomfort that had kept them journeying a slow as possible, why they'd delayed leaving Vroengard in the first place. They could only procrastinate so much.

Torreya closed her scaly lids, grumbling as sleep eluded her. Without having to check she knew her rider wasn't faring any better.

_Sleep Ella._

_I will if you will._

The sky was still grey with the first light of dawn; the perfect backdrop for a grey dragon and her grim rider.

Behind them Teirm was a spot of dark blue. Below them the River Toark, was a band of black. And ahead of them Woadark was an ink splat. They were almost out of the mountains.

Many more leagues and several more hours they'd be out in the plains going north toward the mountain stronghold.

Conversation had been sparse; her rider more upset this morning than last night or the previous mornings. She knew what was wrong, but was at complete loss how to help. There was nothing to say or do; only complete the mission as quickly as possible once they arrived so that they could be on their merry way.

_Torreya, I've been thinking: when I get a mirror I'm cutting the tips of my ears off. _

_ What?_

_ Well, I know humans are kind of… scummy, but I've always been content being human. I know I don't look much like one in the face, but I don't feel comfortable singing my face in a desired shape, but I want to keep some piece of my heritage, even if it's just my ears._

Torrey uttered a growl-half laugh, half complaint. _Humans aren't scummy, and won't cutting your ears hurt or possibly ruin your keen hearing? _

Ellonia mentally shrugged. _Maybe, but humans have always been known for being deaf, dumb, and bumbling around in the dark: they seem to get on just fine. I would be a disgrace to the name human if I had such keen hearing. _Torreya could feel her rider smiling at her pathetic attempt to joke.

Shaking her head with a guttural laugh, Torreya dove before unfurling her wings and catching a thermal.

_Just warn me before you do it. _

_ Of course. _ Another smile.

It was a lame attempt to set aside their mutual issue of strife, but for the moment it worked and both relaxed slightly as the world continued to grow lighter.

_Hey! Did you see that?_

_ What? _Torreya began scanning the ground for the object her rider's distress.

_ I don't know. _Without prompt Torreya tilted her wings, growing nervous with the anxiety in her rider's thoughts. An image flashed before her mind's eye eliciting a growl.

_Ella-_

_ There! _

Growling Torreya circled. There was no way they were going down there.

_Torreya!_

_ Ella, we need to leave, we need to leave Now._ It was too dangerous, far too dangerous and to even consider lingering another second was madness.

Torreya!

No, no, no. They needed to leave. Every instinct in her body screamed to leave. And yet her rider was panicking, demanding they land. For what? To stare at what was undoubtedly a corpse?

_We're keepers of peace! _The frantic voice of her rider lanced through her mind.

For long moment Torreya remained circling, torn between her rider's words and mounting anxiety and the instincts screaming at her to fly far away. They were keepers of peace… She glanced back at her rider with one hard teal eye. The audacity of her decision, their decision weighing on her greatly. Disbelieving she tilted downward, tearing up the clay river bank where she landed several feet away.

Ellonia leapt from her back, sprint across the grass. Wrinkling her nose in distaste Torreya followed at a distance, eyes focused on the skies and the mountains surrounding them. This was way too dangerous and the longer they stayed the more perilous their position became.

_IT'S ALIVE!_ The mental shout distracted her momentarily. Of course with their luck it would be… but even from where she stood-kneading the soil with nervous talons- she could hear it gurgling and choking on its own blood.

And the words spoken in the Ancient Language: "Waise heill!"

The dragon sighed. Yes, it was official- her rider had lost her damn mind. She krept in closer offer support should her rider need it. But even then it wouldn't do any good. The black garbed creature wasn't long for the world, and the string of profanities spewing from her rider;s mouth and mind indicated Ellonia knew it too.

_"Damn!" _ The words were shouted both mentally and physically. The silvery glow of Ellonia's palm faded and she slumped forward. _Shit…._ The word faded into a sea of emotions and broodiness Torreya quickly blocked from her own mind. She might feel bad for her rider, but she wasn't going to indulge in such sentiments for the thing now still and silent before them.

_Ell, we need to leave._

_We, can't. How? We leave and we're seen, we'll be blamed for this._

_Ell, you're an idiot. We stay here, we're both dead. Dead as that- I shouldn't have allowed us to come down here. _

"Fuck! I was wrong, I'm sorry. You were right. Next time I'll listen- we'll fly, we'll- I just- I just-" A shriek caught their attention, and both whipped to face it. A look of mutual panic passed between them. "Shit!"

_Ell, we need to go?_

_Go? We go and we will die! _Her rider still had her hands in her hair, but now they were lax and the nearly painful tugging had stopped.

_Ell! How do think it's going to look if we flee now?_

_And what- you think a Lethrblaka's going to believe a rider and a dragon Just happened upon her dying pupa?_

"_No, but we have far better chance of explaining that if stay then if we take off!"_

They stared at one another, the air around them swirling with tension. They needed to decide their next course of action or they were going to lose their chance. Already the air thudded and pulsed around them with every furious wing beat of an approaching colossus.

Another cry sliced the air.


End file.
